Jason N. Butler, age 48 of Perry, KS, unexpectedly left this earthly life on Friday, February 28, 2025 while on a hike on Piestewa Peak in Phoenix, AZ. He was born in Concordia, KS, on December 20, 1976 to John & Nancy (Kelly) Butler.
Jason started school in Glasco, KS, and spent his summers in the area as a youth playing baseball and working in his grandparents’ grocery store, Kelly’s Fine Foods.
He graduated from Silver Lake High School in Silver Lake, KS, in 1995. During his high school years, he was involved in a variety of extracurricular activities and received numerous awards and honors for his contributions and achievements, including state and national recognition in debate and speech, as well as being on the 1994 State Champion team in speech.
He received his B.S. in Public Relations from University of Central Missouri in 1999. While attending UCM, he was a member of Delta Chi fraternity where he served as chapter president and chapter luminary. Jason was vice president and president of the Student Government Association. He was also named Homecoming King in 1999.
Jason was a proud Delta Chi alumnus, and he dedicated himself to advancing Delta Chi and the fraternal community both personally and professionally. Jason served on Delta Chi staff as a leadership consultant and director of chapter services. He went on to serve Delta Chi for over 20 years in numerous volunteer roles, which included chapter advisor for Central Missouri, Missouri State, and Washburn; Board of Regents; and the Delta Chi Foundation Board of Directors. In addition to his work with Delta Chi, Jason also served the Foundation for Fraternal Excellence, where his board service began in 2016 as a director and later held the roles of vice president and president.
Jason dedicated his professional career to advancing the fraternity experience. He spent 15 years in fraternity fundraising and consulting with Pennington & Company, nine of those as partner and shareholder, assisting house corporations and national foundations to secure more than $50 million in support of students and facilities. After his tenure at Pennington & Company, Jason joined FarmHouse Foundation in October of 2019 as the director of leadership giving where he focused his talents in the areas of major gifts, estate gifts, and donor stewardship as well as securing annual support for the FH Excellence Fund.
With sharp wit and candid observations, Jason also had a talent for bringing humor to every moment. Traveling was second nature to him–you could never predict where he might be calling from, what plans he had lined up, or when he’d be trying to convince friends and family to join him on his next adventure. One of his passions was encouraging family gatherings; an annual highlight is Kelly Kamp that was started by his grandparents and now continues with aunts, uncles, and cousins. Jason was an avid skier, calling Winter Park his home mountain, and had skied all the most popular destinations in the West. In the summer, he enjoyed the waters of Lake of the Ozarks. He more recently began hiking many of the National Parks and Monuments. Jason was a longtime Kansas City Chiefs season ticket holder and faithfully followed the Royals even during the lean years.
Jason is survived by his father, John Butler (Pat), Perry, KS; step-father, Brad Bryant, Silver Lake; sisters, Nikki (Butler) Foley (Jeff), North Oaks, MN and Stephanie Bryant, Topeka; brother, Matthew Bryant (Amanda), Forest Lake, MN; step-sister Danelle (Shoemaker) Perry (Daniel), Manhattan; nieces & nephews, Parker, Jaxton, Lexington, Noah and Lauren. He held close his friends Jerry Simer and Julie DeRosia. He is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins, along with many extended family members and friends, all of whom will cherish his memory.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Nancy Bryant; grandparents, Ross & Maxine Kelly, John J. & Neomi Butler, and Arley & Martha Bryant; aunts and uncles, Patricia Butler, Arle Ann & Dennis Lamberd.
Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 15, 2025 at the Glasco VFW Hall, Glasco, KS, and a light lunch will be served immediately after. Burial will follow in the Jamestown Cemetery, Jamestown, KS. Visitation will be Friday, March 14, 2025, from 1-8 p.m. with the family greeting friends from 6-8 p.m. at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home, Concordia, KS. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to Delta Chi Foundation, FarmHouse Foundation, or The Corner Store (previously Kelly’s Fine Foods) in care of the funeral home. Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home, 325 W. 6th St., PO Box 606, Concordia, KS 66901 is handling arrangements. For online condolences, please visit www.chaputbuoy.com.
